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Edmonton rabbit hoarder fined $8,500, banned from owning pets

Woman had more than 1,100 rabbits seized from her home

Terwillegar rabbit house

Photograph by: Bruce Edwards
, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON - A woman who had more than 1,100 rabbits seized from her south Edmonton home has been fined $8,500 and given a lifetime ban from owning pets, except for the dog she currently owns.

The provincial court decision Monday morning came more than two years after the Humane Society seized 567 pregnant, infected and maimed rabbits from Shelley Zenner’s severely damaged Terwillegar-area home.

In December, Zenner, 35, pleaded guilty to causing distress under the Animal Protection Act. Because so many of the animals were pregnant during the March 2010 seizure, the Humane Society ended up with 589 rabbits, all of which were euthanized. An additional 542 rabbits had been seized earlier from the home between fall 2008 and March 2010.

Judge Ferne LeReverend’s decision closely followed a joint submission from Crown prosecutor Christian Lim and defence lawyer Dan Nagase. In December, LeReverend deliberated on the sentence for more information on Zenner’s mental health. A report submitted Monday details information about Zenner’s troubles, including her struggles with hoarding and post-traumatic stress disorder related to a robbery several years ago.

Zenner has since received counselling, Lim said, but could have faced a $20,000 fine for each of the 567 rabbits. Veterinary fees tied to examining and euthanizing the animals were an additional $100,000, he noted.

“It did have a real cost to the community,” Lim said. “It’s a constant balancing act.”

“Zenner recognizes the situation got out of hand and it is a situation she does not want to repeat,” Nagase said.

After her guilty plea in December, Zenner acquired an additional 15 rabbits, court heard Monday, but she has since moved away and given up the animals. She will be required to bring her dog to an animal protection officer each year, and is allowed to replace it with a spayed or neutered dog or cat after it dies. She is also banned from any business that sells animals, and will undergo counselling for two years.

“I’m very sorry this happened to my rabbits,” said Zenner. “I’m sorry to my family and everybody else.”

Charges were dropped against Zenner’s son, Quentin Zenner, and her mother, Edna Zenner.